Memories Forgotten are Never Lost
by Undying - Love
Summary: Set 5 years after her adventures in the Spirit World, this story tells of how Chihiro copes with daily life in her own world. Her faith in the promise is tested and a great sacrifice is made for her by the boy she knew and loved.
1. Prologue

A/N - Hey Everyone(well at least who ever has decided to read my fanfic...lol)!!Im sort of new to fan fic sothis is my very first fan fic that ive written...EVER! lol....n e ways hope u will enjoy it...pls review afterwards!! thankies!! ...

Prologue -this is sort of like a short summary, telling you about Chihiro's life just after she left the spirit world...then chapter one starts the story...

A dazzling light reflected off a spotless whiteboard into a quiet girl's, lonesome eyes. The deafening school bell rang, piercing through the silence of the deserted corridors. The class stood hastily at the sound and waited eagerly to be dismissed. The corridors filled out quickly, with herds of students swarming around. Though the mass of students was huge, not one seemed to take note of a shy, introverted girl with long, brown hair, shuffling her way in and out through the crowds of students, making her way to the main entrance of the school. Deep in thought, her heart aches and cries in pain.

* * *

Shortly after her return from the spirit world, Chihiro tried to inform her parents of their adventure they had experienced in the realm of the spirits, but they refused believe her. She became more desperate for her parents to believe, offering to take them into to the woods, to prove to them that what happened was in fact real not just some story she created in her mind, but her parents took no notice and simply sat down with her for a little chat to straighten things out. They just simply told her that they 'understood' what she was doing and that they knew she felt deprived of attention and was not use to it, just because her father was away at work all day and her mother had a day job so was around the house less than she use to be, what _they_ thought was attention seeking must stop and she must stop making up these strange worlds and fantasies. Chihiro knew better, even back then, when she was younger that what she saw and felt was very real and not just some illusion. _It wasn't made up and they were wrong_. After her parents decisively chose to ignore her and shut her out, thinking that if they ignored these fairy-tales, she would stop thinking of them. At this point, Chihiro's spiral of loneliness began to form.

The first few years of her school life in her new home town, Chihiro had many friends, as they were intrigued to hear her stories of outstanding bravery and great courage of a girl called Sen and her brush with witches, spirits and enchanting dragons. Unfortunately, after a period of time, her friends matured and began to lose interest her, becoming bored of Chihiro _and_ her stories. Eventually, one by one, her so-called 'friends' abandoned her, leaving her with no-one to comfort her at sad times, no-one to share her deepest sorrows with, just for her agony to be suppressed into the back of her mind, painfully.

Chihiro is now 15. Her encounter with the enchanting spirit world still influences her life, today. Although she cherishes each memory of her spirit friends dearly, Chihiro is more keen than ever to give up hope. The once strong hope and faith she believed in, that one day, Haku would come to rescue her from her lonely, miserable life in the human world. When she was younger, she would repeat to herself that if Haku doesn't come today, maybe he will show up tomorrow. But 5 years have passed since the day she left the spirited world...and he never came, not even a sign or message.

The gradual development of her own mental isolation from friends, piers and family, caused by the disbelief of the unsupportive people close to her, has moulded her into this insecure, half-hearted pessimist.

Her heart tears, as she feels so alone in this harsh world. Not a single soul cares for her.

The optimistic young Chihiro Ogino, so full of life was now...long gone...


	2. Chapter 1 : School

Disclaimer: I do not own spirited away or any of the characters in it.

A/N - hey! heres the very first chapter of my story...the prologue wasnt exactly very long...so i had to lengthen the middle section abit...sorry to whoever found it boring...plus im not a top pupil in English...so im not exactly the best of writters so my stories arent all that good...lol...but i hope u enjoy anyways! pls review!! thanks

* * *

Chapter 1 : School

"_Will we meet again someday?"_

"_I'm sure we will,"_

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise, now go and don't look back..."_

As she gazed longingly outside into the clear, blue, cloudless sky, this short, but so meaningful good-bye echoed in her far-away mind. Giving a long sigh, she recalled the words once more, _"I'm sure we will,"_

"But when?..." she whispered sadly to herself.

In her mind, she called to him, almost yearning for him. _"Haku, I miss you…I need you..."_

"_Chihiro..."_ a distant voice was calling her name.

"_Chihiro..." _again, the quiet voice whispered in the back of her mind.

"Chihiro!" a nearby class mate nudged her. Realising she had drifted off into another day dream and it was only a class mate calling her name, she felt disappointed.

"Chihiro! Stand up!" her class mate hissed at her. Chihiro noticed that everyone was standing up and the entire class were glaring at her, looking very impatient.

She looked at the clock and realised it was the end of the school day.

"Chihiro! The bells gone! Stand up!" another class mate ordered her.

She stood up immediately, seeing the teacher was also glaring at her, waiting for her to stand up to dismiss the class. He gave her an unkind look, indicating to her that he was not at all impressed with her lack of concentration.

"Welcome back to reality, Miss Ogino" the teacher said mockingly. He did not like Chihiro, as she was not brightest of students and did not pay much attention in class. Instead whenever she _would_ attempt to make an effort to participate, he would just say something to ridicule her, so Chihiro gave up on the idea of trying to fit in for quite some time now.

"Oh, I'm very sorry class, I did not mean to hold you up again," Chihiro gave a low bow of apology. They just ignored her, making her feel even more of an outcast.

"_Why did I even bother?" _she thought to herself _"They never pay any attention to me anyway. Even if it is polite to apologise, they're not exactly being very polite in return."_

"Good afternoon class,"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Koizumi" they said in unison.

"Have a nice weekend everyone!" after saying this, he left the room abruptly.

The class exited from the room, filing out after the teacher had left. Many were greeted by cheerful friends from other forms who had waited for them after being dismissed themselves.

Chihiro was last to leave the room as always. Walking past two girls to her locker to put her books away, they seemed not to notice her shy presence, over hearing them talk:

"Miwako! What held you up? We're going to be late!"

"Hey Akiko! Sorry, but that _freak_ Ogino girl held up the WHOLE class again!"

Surprised, the girl replied "I would have thought she'd be quite popular since she is not exactly fat and not ugly either, in fact many of the boys in my form say she's very pretty and some even fancy her."

Chihiro opened her locker and frowned at hearing this. In her opinion all the boys that attended her school were ALL unattractive, immature, juvenile delinquents, who smelt awful! Well, maybe that isn't all true and was slightly _a bit_ too harsh, but she definitely thought they were unattractive and immature, so she didn't pay much attention to them or have any interest in them for that matter.

"I guess the people in your form haven't taken any classes with her. She sits on her own at the back of the class and just day dreams all the time," the girl explained "She's a loner with no friends."

At this point, Chihiro gripped onto her maths book tighter than before, almost ripping it. She felt angered at the girl's hurtful words, yet at the same time more lonely than ever.

"_No friends…" _she thought _"No, your wrong, you all are. No body understands me, that's why. I DO have friends and Haku WILL come for me. They remember me as much as I remember them! At least, I hope they do…"_

She had no way of knowing. Her heart sank and a feeling of lost faith suddenly swept over her. An unexpected tear rolled down her face and dropped onto her maths book, causing a small colourless patch to appear on her class work book, as the dye had soaked through onto the pages. Realising what happened, she flicked through the pages speedily, hoping the dye hadn't soaked right through to stain her picture. With relief, she took the drawing from lodged between the back pages of her book and stared at it, miserably.

It was a beautiful image of a green/black haired young boy with intense green eyes, who she had drawn with great care and passion. The immense detail shown, made it seem almost life-like. Over the years, Chihiro had become quite a talented young artist and has drawn many pictures of her friends in the spirit world. She usually did this in her spare time, at weekends, after studying.

"Hey Miwako, Akiko! Come on! What are you still doing here! We're going to be late for our hair appointments!...the party is tonight...remember?!?!" another girl rushed in, shouting down the almost empty corridor.

Chihiro was startled by this sudden intrusion, dropping all her things onto the floor. The three girls just stood there staring and began laughing at her. None of them offered to help her.

Her face blushed slightly, as she knelt down to pick up her books. The girls began to mock and tease her, pointing and laughing. Chihiro's face flushed and became even redder than before. But not from feeling embarrassed, instead, from feeling frustrated at them. She felt provoked enough to just scream out at them, but instead she decisively chose to remain silent, as she wasn't very good at arguing with others and wasn't very quick at thinking of snappy come-backs.

She packed her bag as quickly as she could and walked through the corridor, with her head down, looking at her feet. The trio were still there, despite the time, shouting out scornful mockery and giving her intimidating looks. Chihiro was desperately attempting to ignore them but she could not take much more of this...

"_Why me?" _she thought angrily_ "Why is it always me they tease, make fun of…I've had enough!"_

"What's the matter Ogino? Are three mean girls bullying you? Are you going to run to mummy and daddy for help?" said Akiko in a cruel sarcastic voice. The three burst out laughing once more.

As she walked past Akiko, Chihiro suddenly stopped abruptly. She was not much of a fighter,as she didn't have an aggressive nature,but she had seen enough films with violent fighting scenes to know what to do. She turned around and slapped the girl painfully hard across cheek. Akiko was so shocked, she stepped back a few steps and fell over, collapsing in a heap on the floor. The two other girls knelt down quickly to help her. The girl's already pink face became as red as a beetroot, steaming up anger, when she realised what had been done to her! This was one of the raremoments Chihiro wanted to laugh...

"Just leave me alone!" Chihiroyelled at them, before running out of the school towards home. She felt she had won a small victory of some kind and was pleased at her own courage to stand up for herself. She felt happy, something she hadn't felt for a long time...


	3. Chapter 2 : Parents' Persuasion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away or any of the characters in it.**

**BattleAngelKurumi- **YOU'RE MY FIRST REVIEWER!! And I love u for it!! Thank u!!! u dnt no how happy I was wen I saw I had a review! Lol and WOW, ive never inspired n e one b4! It's a first! Lol thankies!!

**Depressed Pixie-** Thank u! im glad u like it!! I seriously thought it was going to be rejected at first and no one was going to like it…but I hav reviewers that like it! Yay!! Lol

**Honey Nut Loop – **Thank u for reviewing! Ive reviewed ur story and I think its great! And yep, I agree, English class is all analyze this and that, and annotate this and that, and write essays on this and that….it becomes so boring sometimes. Lol…but o well….life is life…lol

**Katzeye** - thankies for ur nice review – it gave me a slight confidence boost , which I needed I guess lol! I will definitely keep on writing (even if it kills me, lol) heres the next chappie…hope u like…

**Ogino Chihiro** – lol!! Thank you for reviewing and yep, your right…they are just complete BLEEP .lol!

**A/N heylo! Sorry if this chappie doesn't match up to ur expectations but it IS a long chapter (in my opinion at least) so pls forgive me!…I was ill when I was writing this so my brain wasn't functioning properly. Lol, n e ways im feeling all better now and I hope u'll enjoy it…pls review afterwards! Thankies! oh and btw…to n e one who wants to no wen Haku will be making an appearance: he shud be in chapter 4 or 5, hopefully or maybe chapter 6 …BUT no guarantees, so pls dnt kill me if hes not…lol…but dnt worry…hes definitely going to be in the story and Chihiro's life wont always be doom and gloom…it will get better, I promise because she'll…lol…okay…im giving away the plot! NO!…_bad Lisa! _hits self with book lol**

Chapter 2: Parents' Persuasion

Shortly after she darted out of the school, Chihiro arrived home and went up to her room straight away. She changed out of her school uniform into more comfortable, casual clothes, hanging her uniform neatly on her wardrobe door, as she always does.

Pulling out a shoe-box from underneath her bed, she sat at the edge of her mattress looking down at the dusty container, glumly. It was where she kept the only remaining memories she had left of the spirit world. Amongst many of the items enclosed, the baggy T-shirt and shorts that she wore when she ventured through the plaster-made, artificially-old tunnel and the glimmering, purple hair tie were included.

Rummaging her way through, she pulled out a small card from beneath the mound of objects, at the bottom of the box. On the card, it read:

'…_Good Luck, Chihiro_

_We'll meet again…'_

It was the good-bye card that she had received from her best friend in her previous home town, along with a bouquet of pink flowers as a fare-well gift, before moving to her new home. It held many precious memories for her. The memories of the care Haku showed her – giving back her name, saving her.

Giving a deep, empty sigh of despair, she fell back onto her springy bed, letting her shoulder length hair, sprawl out freely over her feather-soft duvet. She stared at the card, contemplatively, as she held it up in the air in front of her. Reflecting on this memory, which made her life feel so forlorn, as it was stabbing agonizingly in the back of her clouded mind, she closed her eyes tightly, desperately attempting to dismiss the torturing misery, tearing at her heart.

* * *

'Chihiro, dinner's ready!' called her mother from the bottom of the staircase 'Chihiro, are you even listening to me!?'

Chihiro woke with a start and sat up abruptly.

'I must have dosed-off…' she murmured to herself, drowsily

Rubbing her eyes, she stood up and stretched; cracking her bones to relieve herself from the stiffness in her back.

'Chihiro!?'

'Coming' she replied 'I'll be down in a second!'

'Okay, hurry up then dear'

Placing all the bits and pieces back carefully into the box which she had emptied earlier, she reached over to black school bag, which lay by her wooden writing desk, and pulled out the drawing of Haku. She took one last look at it, before reluctantly placing it on top of the pile swiftly, and replacing the lid back onto the box, pushing it deep under her bed.

* * *

Chihiro descended down the steep staircase of her house with no haste, as every evening, dinner with her parents was always the time for awkward questions that were nearly _always _followed by eternity-lasting, uncomfortable silences, with occasional glances at each other.

Entering the pale green, oriental-decorated dining room, she was cheerfully greeted by her loving father, who was always trying to bring a smile to the young teenager's face.

'Chihiro!' he beckoned; gesturing her to sit down 'How are you? A moron at the office today, somehow got his tie trapped in a locked filing cabinet and he didn't know what to do,'

Chihiro gave him a light smile as she sat down and she began digging into her cold meal. They were having home-made sushi, with some fried noodles as a side dish. Seeing that his daughter was not paying much attention to him, he turned to look at his wife, instead.

'It was actually quite amusing to watch,' he continued, with a wide grin on his face 'because the entire hour that he was stuck, before we had found the key, he could have just taken his tie off and left it hanging there, instead of just standing around, looking absolutely ridiculous!'

Chihiro's mother gave a soft laugh 'Well didn't he even think of just cutting it off? – that's quick and simple' she questioned.

'Well I don't know…' her father said in response, almost whining 'the strangest thing, was that the boss didn't even notice when he walked past. Well. There again. He is a little dense, sometimes.

'Bosses…' her mother shook her head, discrediting them, as she thought out loud to herself 'they think they're all that...but they're not!'

Chihiro was concentrating on her plate of food and was deep in thought, thinking only of the grief and boredom she was living through, not really taking note of the topic of which her parents were conversing on. Although, she did hear them speak, each sounding word uttered from their mouths, just did not process in her distant mind, as it, in her opinion, seemed only like some meaningless nonsense passing through her ears – which in fact, it was! But so caught up in her anguish thoughts, Chihiro was completely unaware and had not even noticed her father ask her to pass the small bottle of wasabee sauce.

He waved his hand in front of her face, seeking her attention 'Earth to Chihiro,' he said in a joking voice, slightly mocking her 'your father requests, and is in need of some wasabee sauce on his sushi please…'

Snapping back into reality, Chihiro jerked back into her chair slightly in the event of surprise. 'What? Oh…erm…here you go…sorry…'

Shaking the bottle with difficulty to get the sauce out, he began questioning his daughter 'SO…Chihiro…day dreaming hmm? So…Which boy is it?!' he asked in such a teasing way that he almost burst out laughing whilst saying it.

She knew he was joking, but nevertheless 'No one!' she shouted back defensively, her cheeks turning pinker than usual, blushing.

'It IS a boy, isn't it!? Come on…you can tell your old man!' he blurted out with a huge grin on his face. He loved to tease her with accusations such as this.

'Dad! It's no one. I wasn't even thinking about a boy…I just got bored of what you were talking about, so I just tuned out I guess…that's all…' she replied. She could see how unconvinced her father was and screwed up her face, feeling slightly annoyed at him.

'_Why can't he just leave me alone…I AM telling the truth…well…sort of, at least…Yes. I was thinking about a boy…but not like one he was talking about…meaning all the disgusting ones, that just hit puberty! eww…'_

'Oh well then, never mind…I see you don't trust your own father any more…' he accused her; trying to use reverse-psychology. But Chihiro knew better from past experience, than to fall for that commonly used old trick and so decisively chose to ignore him

'Oh Chihiro, I almost forgot…I was talking to our neighbour the other day and she was telling me about the school dance at your school tonight, and I asked her to ask her son if he would take you, since you two are in the same year as each other, and guess what? He agreed,' announced her mother, suddenly, smiling at her.

'WHAT?!' she screamed at her mother, slamming her chop-sticks down onto the dining table in complete fury. Anger swept over her as fast as wind. 'mum! How could you do that without even consulting me!! I mean…you of all people should know how anti-social I am!!'

'Chihiro! Calm down!' her mother replied, in complete astonishment of her daughter's sudden rage 'I'd thought you'd be happy. And. Well maybe it's time that you ought to go out more and socialize more often. I think it's great that you are concentrating so hard on your academic work and studies, but, Chihiro, your 15…turning 16 very soon, and well, I guess I just wanted to see you happy, going out with a bunch of friends…inviting them home to study with you…'

'I don't _have _friends! Don't you understand!?' she cried, as her tears began streaming down her cheeks, before rushing back up to her room leaving her parents utterly speechless at her reaction.

'_I can't believe her! How could she do this to me? I feel so…so betrayed by her. Everyone at school thinks I'm a social outcast. They'll all just laugh at me if I show up…why did she…? Argh! I feel SO annoyed with her!' _Chihiro thought angrily, as she lay on her bed, crying.

_-knock, knock-_

'Go Away!!' she howled at them.

Despite the answer, her parents gently opened the door and came into her bedroom. Chihiro's parents were masters of using reverse-psychology, especially her mother. She could get Chihiro to do _anything_ she wanted,if she used the right tone of voice and had the perfect look on her face.

'Chihiro, I'm sorry,' apologised her mother 'Listen. If you don't want to go, then I'm not going to force you,' she said in a sympathetic, soothing voice. Chihiro looked up from her bed and gave her mother a soft smile, before her mother continued 'but, I was desperately hoping that you would,' her mother at this point began looking down at her feet 'Well, you see, I was told that the dance was only on for two hours, and I thought that you might consider the idea, so I went out last weekend to buy you a pair of new shoes and a beautiful dress, especially for the occasion…'

Chihiro looked at her mother _'She seems so upset that I'm not going, she looks so sad…I can't say no now… she made the effort to go out and buy me a new dress. It wasn't my intent to make her so unhappy, but she DID do it behind my back so…why am I blaming myself? But she did seem to be really concerned about me and care about me a lot…so I can't exactly let her down. I feel so guilty…Why is guilt such a powerful emotion? She uses it every time to manipulate me to do things...'_

Chihiro gave a warm smile to her mother. 'Mum, you know, sometimes it's scary how persuasive you can be.'

'So, you're going then!?' she shouted, changing her tone completely, looking incredibly excited.

'Yes, I'm going…' Chihiro nodded back to her mother.

'Erm…and might I add it ALL came out of MY wallet!' interrupted her father, finally saying something.

Her mother smiled in a cheeky fashion, whilst Chihiro just gave a small chuckle.

'Erm…I know this maybe a stupid question, mum, but, who's our neighbour's son?'

'He's called Arashi Kanzaki…' she replied

Chihiro's eyes widened. 'The swimming team-captain!?'

'_THE MOST POPULAR BOY IN SCHOOL? Maybe this was not such a good idea after all…Why did HE agree to take ME!?' _she wondered to herself, feeling thoroughly confused.

* * *

like? dont like? pls review and tell me

luv to hear from u all!

Thank You


	4. Chapter 3 : Deceiving Appearances

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away or any of the characters in it.

**IvoryStar** – Thanks for the review! Here the next chapter, hope u like!

**Sparkling-Ruby Gem** – Thank u! here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

**KatzEye** – Thank u for reviewing! I've tried to adapt your idea of Arashi being Haku (sort of) into this chappie because I thought that it would make the chapter more interesting to read. Pls read and tell me what u think. Thankies!

**BattleAngelKurumi** – thank u for the review, heres the next update, hope u like it!

**Depressed Pixie** – thankies for the review! Yeah I agree, Chihiro rocks and so does Haku! Lol, oh and PLS DNT kill me in class wen I dnt update soon! Lol…u of all ppl shud no how stressed out I get over school work sumtimes. Lol

**Ogino Chihiro** – Thankies for the review! Here the next update! Enjoy!

**A/N – I changed the rating to PG13 in the last chappie b cos im going to include some swearing in this chappie. Oh and just to anyone who is wondering: the story so far is still on the same day, i.e. the Friday. Lol. Anyways… enough of me babbling on about nothing, heres the next chappie! Enjoy! Hope u like! Pls review afterwards! I love to hear from u all, as always!

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Chapter 3: Deceiving Appearances

Chihiro stared at herself in the wide mirror on her mother's dressing table, unbelievingly. She could barely recognise herself, after her mother so carefully applied make-up to her gentle face and styled her hair in such a neat fashion; allowing not one hair to fall out of place.

Looking down at her black, knee length dress, _'This is such a pretty dress; it looks very costly. Dad must have been reluctant in paying for this.' _She thought for a moment to herself whilst her mother was hysterically searching for the newly purchased pair of shoes in her wardrobe.

'Found Them!' she exclaimed 'Here you go!'

'Thank You,' Chihiro replied simply.

Her mother watched her without blinking as Chihiro put on the shoes, very keen to see Chihiro wearing the complete outfit.

'Wow! You look great dear!' she called out, before Chihiro had even stood up fully. 'Hold on! Let me get the camera out before Arashi arrives!'

'_Arashi…'_ she thought, as she gave her mother a sheepish smile in response, when she darted off, searching. _'him? He? But why would he…? What is he planning?' _she questioned her mind, as she sat down in a slumped position, once again at the dressing table. _'What are his intentions?' _Doubt of the evening filled her mind. She began to feel a great anxiety, growing in her heart. The feeling of worry was strengthened by each passing second.

-Ding Dong-

Turning sharply at the sound, she knocked most of her mother's belongings off the dressing table, onto the carpet.

'_Chihiro. Calm down. Relax' _Reassuring herself as she knelt down to pick up her mother's possessions. _'It will all be fine. Two hours. ONLY two hours, that's all. It's not a long time. And I look fine, so Arashi won't run away when he sees me,'_

Panting heavily, her heart pounded and raced, rapidly.

'Chihiro' her mother returned to the room with the camera in her hand ' Arashi's here. Are you okay dear? You look slightly flushed…' she looked at her daughter with concern in her eyes.

'What? Who? Me? I'm fine. Terrific in fact' she answered in return, putting on a fake smile. It had been a very long time since Chihiro had seen her mother's face lit up with such excitement and delight, that she felt no need to inform her of her worries and doubts, to sadden her happy moment.

* * *

She took a deep breath and was able to calm herself, as she walked as steadily as she could down her steep staircase, and smiled at Arashi in a friendly manner. 

'Hi Chihiro,' He said in a cool, firm voice, examining her from head to toe 'you look very pretty tonight'. He stood, gazing at her in awe. _'Woah! She's HOT! I've seen her around school and she looked pretty good looking then. But. Now. Woah. She is H.O.T.!'_ he thought to himself.

Feeling slightly confused by his gaze, she was taken back for a moment 'erm…hi Arashi,' She replied lamely 'you look very nice too.' Chihiro had never really looked at Arashi very carefully before; this was the very first time and she came to a rather strange realisation.

'_Arashi. He looks a lot like Haku. Could it be him? –fulfilling his promise? But how?' _she questioned her mind frantically _'It couldn't be him, he can't my neighbour's son .could he? Hmm…I've heard he is quite a player, around school. I'd best stay alert and on my guard.'_

'Are you okay?' Arashi enquired 'you look confused about something'

'Oh. Erm, no, I'm fine thank you' she managed to utter.

'Well. Let's go then!' he announced with a broad grin.

'HOLD ON!' her mother screamed, running down the stairs, almost falling over 'I want a picture of the two of you before you leave.' She held the camera up 'Say CHEESE!'

* * *

The two arrived at the school entrance. Every single pair of eyes in the room seemed to fixate on the couple, as Arashi escorted Chihiro in. The atmosphere changed completely, as whispers began to replace the pounding music. 

Chihiro began trembling. She was afraid. Afraid of what people would think of her. Beady eyes were staring at her. She felt extremely uncomfortable and incredibly self-conscious.

Arashi saw the worry in Chihiro's soft, brown eyes and turned to her, kissing her on the cheek, deliberately, for everyone to see. 'Hey, it's fine. You're with me, remember? The girls are jealous of you because you look great, don't worry. And as for the guys. Well they're jealous of me bringing such a pretty date. You're really good looking, you know.' He whispered gently into her ear.

Chihiro's eyes widened, she did not know what to say or how to reply_ 'He thinks that I'm good looking?' _she thought _'He said that I was good looking. Nobody has ever complimented me like that before. Maybe I misjudged him. Maybe he's a nice guy after all.'_

She just simply nodded in response.

* * *

After they found a place to sit down, the staring eyes and whispers faded and the loud music was restored. 

'Are you thirsty?' Arashi asked thoughtfully

'Erm…Er…I…I' her voice was wavered and wobbly.

'I'll get some drinks for us,' saying this, he got up and headed for the punch bowl.

'_Argh! Why can't I say anything! I feel so stupid! Saying 'Yes I am thirsty and would like a drink please' isn't that hard to say.'_ Chihiro pouted and slumped in her chair feeling thoroughly infuriated with herself.

* * *

'Arashi! Woah! Who's THAT babe?' Hikaru – a friend of Arashi, asked with excitement. 

'That hot babe, over there is Ogino, you know the one from school,' he replied

'No way! That can't be her! The reject from school? That dorky geek that everyone makes fun of?' Hikaru shouted 'We ARE talking about the same girl, right?'

'Yep! Do I have an eye for girls or what! I swear the polite gentleman act works like a charm every time! She's going to be mine tonight! I'll show her a good time! And what better way to get back at Miwako for dumping me than bringing someone she hates to the dance'

'Haha! Arashi, you dog! You better save some for me!'

'Haha! What about your date, Hikaru?'

'She's not buying into the whole polite innocent thing. It sucks'

'Tough luck man. Anyway, I better get back to Chihiro now. Later'

* * *

The three girl's Chihiro came across earlier today, after school, were also at the dance. But, unfortunately for them, they came dateless. 

'Akiko, look there!' Miwako nodded her head in the direction of Chihiro and Arashi. 'There's that bitch that slapped you! And what the HELL is she doing with my ex-boyfriend! That bastard! He's such a god-damn player!' she said in utter rage and disgust.

'That bitch. She's going to pay! She's going to regret the day she was born!'

* * *

Chihiro sat, sipping her punch slowly. She felt so embarrassed around him; all he did was stare at her 

'_I wonder what he's thinking. I'm probably boring him to death. I mean…he's kind, sweet and very interesting. He's so like Haku, so understanding, so thoughtful, so caring.'_

'I'm sorry if I'm boring you, Arashi. Truth is…I've never dated anyone in my life…' She trailed off.

'No, its fine. If anyone should be apologizing, it ought to be me. After all, I'm your date and you should be enjoying yourself, not be worrying what other people are thinking and if I'm making you feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry. Trust me; you're not at all boring. In fact, you're the exact opposite; you're fascinating! Anyway, do you want to dance, its only a slow song, so people will be too caught up in dancing themselves than to take any notice of us,' He gave her a reassuring smile.

'Erm…sure'

'_Maybe this is going to be my chance to be accepted by everyone! And I won't be the social outcast anymore' _Chihiro felt a happy and hopeful sensation sweep over her. It was a pleasant feeling – like the feeling she would experience when Haku would come to help her during the sad times she had in the spirit world.

* * *

He held her close, wrapping his arms gently around her body. 

'_His aftershave: the smell is so inviting. I feel as though there is nobody else in world. Not even Haku can ruin this moment for me. It's been so long since I have felt this warmth inside me. I want this moment to last forever.'_ She closed her eyes, embracing in his arms.

Suddenly, Chihiro's body grew stiff all over, as every muscle in her body tensed. Realizing what he was doing, her eyes widened.

His hand was slowly sliding down her back, and as it reached the end of her outfit, he moved it under and began rising his hand up her silky dress, touching his way up the soft skin of her leg.

'GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PERV!' Chihiro screamed in his face, as she forcefully pushed him away, causing him to fall on the floor. 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! TRYING TO FEEL ME UP LIKE THAT! I HARDLY EVEN KNOW YOU! SURE, I'VE SEEN YOU AROUND SCHOOL A COUPLE OF TIMES! BUT THAT DOESN'T COUNT!'

Her eyes blazed with fury and aggression.

Everyone in the room stopped dancing, instantly, as the shriek of Chihiro's voice pierced through the slow playing music, killing the romantic atmosphere. Shocked by the sudden outbreak, the audience stood staring in astonishment.

Arashi stood up; trying to salvage what was left of his pride and reputation.

'YOUR HAND! HOW DARE YOU!' Chihiro screeched at the top of her voice, in absolute disgust and frustration 'YOU JERK!'

'Chihiro, I'm warning you, calm down, otherwise you WILL regret it' he mumbled in a low voice, giving her a very intimidating look.

'NO! I WON'T CALM DOWN! YOU'RE REPULSIVE!' she spat 'IT'S SICKENING TO EVEN LOOK AT YOU!' finishing her sentence she marched to the female toilets and hid. She knew, had she stayed any longer she would have most definitely lost the confrontation.

Her privacy had been invaded. Her heart felt betrayed. She let her guard down. But, most of all, she trusted him. She felt irritated with herself for allowing him to take advantage of her like that.

What will she do now? This retaliation ofhumiliatingArashi in front of the entire student-body was a terrible mistake, that Chihiro will soon regret doing, as she will come to learn: actions _always_ have consequences, be they good…or bad.

* * *

**Hmm…I don't think that was very well written…Oh well…**

**Please review and tell me what you think! Thank u!**


	5. Chapter 4 : Consequential Actions

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away or any of the characters in it! Just a jerk called Arashi and three very mean girls, belong to me!

**Lost-and-Lonely-Pheonix** – Thank u! I'm glad u like it! I try to write the story so that people feel sorry for Chihiro, but at the same time, try not to make the story over depressing, because that's just boring for everyone to read. Lol.

**Sparkling-Ruby Gem** – Thank u very much for reviewing! It's always appreciated!

**Crazianimegirl** – thanks for the review! I really like your story; your ideas are great!

**KatzEye** – thank u for reviewing! Here's the next chapter!

**AlmostNirvana** – Hey Alex! Thanks for reviewing! The funi thing about ur review is that I can actually imagine u saying 'HA! I found it!' lol!

**Iznil the Gothic Faery** – Yay! At long last, u've found it! Lol! Thanks for reviewing!

**Sakura-no-hana-hoshi** – thanks for reviewing! Haku will be in the next chapter!

**IvoryStar** – thank u for the review! It actually gave me some inspiration for writing this chapter (possible parts of Arashi's body that he might need to become a father)! Lol! Thank u! pls review and tell me what u think…

**Depressed Pixie** – Thanks for reviewing nic! Me? One of the smartest girl's u no?...u must not no many girls then…lol…

**Shamanbabe** – Thank u! I'm sure you're a very good writer too!

**BattleAngelKurumi** – Thanks for reviewing, like to hear from u as always!

**LadyRainStarDragon** – lol! Thank u for reviewing! I actually based the character of Arashi on the majority of the boys at my school. Lol, so he wasn't all that difficult to write.

**A/N – hi! I know it's almost been 3 weeks since my last update, I'm really sorry! I was overwhelmed with English coursework last weekend so didn't have time to write! Sorry! Well, to make it up to you all, I've written this incredibly, lengthy chapter(well, to me, it is)! It's more than twice as long as my usual ones! But then again, people do say: its quality, not quantity that counts, so it could just be all poo. Lol. Oh, just a word or 2 to explain Chihiro's retaliation at the end of the last chapter: Chihiro's reaction was greatly influenced by and was due to her lack of experience with boys. This is what caused her to give the slightly exaggerated reaction. Anyways, on with the chapter! Please review afterwards! Thank you!

* * *

**

Chapter 4: Consequential Actions

Burying her face deep in her hands, Chihiro sat curled up in the far corner of the female bathroom, feeling absolutely bewildered with her life.

She felt baffled by the sudden occurrence of many unexpected happenings, within the single day. Her uneventful life, that she became so accustomed to, was now shattering into pieces.

'_What is going on with me?' _she pondered, struggling to give some logic to these recent incidents. _'This afternoon, I slapped someone! Until then, I have never slapped anyone in my life! Tonight, I humiliated the most popular boy in school, in front of everyone! And now I'm sat in the corner of the smelly toilets, not knowing what to do next! What is wrong with me? Why is everything going so wrong? If Haku were here now, he would know the explanation. I'm sorry Haku,'_

The tormenting memories plagued her mind. She felt ashamed of herself, ashamed because for a moment, she allowed for that filthy pig, Arashi to replace Haku…

Without warning, the triad of girl's unexpectedly burst in, whilst Chihiro was still lost, deep in her thoughts.

'Hey, Chi!' shouted Itsuko in a slightly mocking voice, as she pranced around in front of her 'I can call you Chi, right? Okay, that's settled then, Chi. So how you feeling Chi?'

Dismissing the annoying voice of Itsuko, Chihiro remained seated on the floor hugging her knees, unmoved and still.

'What's up? What's up? What's up?' She knew what was bothering her, which gave her all the more reason to continue acting like an immature five year old, winding Chihiro up.

'Leave me alone,' was the simple reply she gave.

The three girls looked at each other, exchanging devilish grins. They perched themselves on the floor next to her and commenced their evil scheme.

'Hey, we want to help you,' Miwako announced.

'Sure you want to help,' Replied Chihiro sarcastically, 'Why would _you _of all people want to help _me_?'

'Look, we know what an ass Arashi can be,' Miwako said, understandingly.

'Yeah, he's just a no good pretty-boy,' concurred Akiko 'He's a jerk!'

'And if you're seen with us, Arashi and his _crew_ will not dare lay a finger on you,' Itsuko added.

The last statement, Itsuko said, hung in the air. Until now, it had never occurred to Chihiro that she would most definitely be punished for humiliating Arashi like she did. This new thought made their offer seem much more appealing than it had been just moments before.

'_Why on Earth did I come to the toilets?' _She thought, feeling stupid with herself _'I'm such an idiot! Well, I've got no choice. If I want to get back home in one piece, then I'd better accept their help.'_

She thought it would be wise if she did not remind them of their earlier encounter, this afternoon, in case they change their minds and decide not to help her.

'_But still. Why would they want to help me?' _Chihiro pondered

'Okay, last chance, you can either accept or refuse our help. Which will it be?'

Chihiro did not reply. Her conflicting thoughts confused her mind.

'Fine. We'll take your silence as a refusal then,' With that, the girl's arose from the cold, tiled floor and began to head for the door.

'Wait!' exclaimed Chihiro 'Please, I would very much appreciate you help, if you don't mind…' she added, hesitantly.

'Okay, okay! We'll help you!' Replied Itsuko. Clapping her hands in a childish manner, she turned around in excitement.

'Come on, then,' Miwako said. An unnerving, fiendish smile that was brought to her lips, caused Chihiro to consider staying in her present position.

'Well?' snapped Akiko 'What are you waiting for?' Chihiro could see the suppressed anger in her eyes. She obviously remembered the slap she had received today.

Chihiro stood and began walking towards the trio of girl's. They took her hands and guided her towards the door. Though she was grateful of their sudden but strange kindness, there was nagging feeling that something was amiss. They noticed the mistrust in Chihiro's eyes.

'Are you always _this_ suspicious of everyone?' Akiko sniggered.

Chihiro remained silent, which was more than enough to answer her question.

Itsuko stepped ahead and pushed open the door, smiling happily. Without warning, Akiko and Miwako, grabbed Chihiro under her arms and with great force, hurled her out of the female bathroom. With harsh impact, her face and body met the floor, quickly.

'We said we would help, didn't we?' Miwako said with a cruel tone in her voice 'Well, we're helping you learn your place, Ogino!'

The dancing came to a halt and the music ceased to play, as all the attention was now focussed on Chihiro…and something behind her…

Before she had time to react, a stream of pinkish red liquid rained down from above her, as Arashi stood pouring the entire contents of the punch bowl, all over her; soaking Chihiro from head to toe.

The atmosphere of the room changed noticeably, as the sustained silence was now replaced with mocking laughter, heard in every corner of the room.

'HA! How do you like me now, Ogino?' smirked Arashi, feeling proud of himself.

Chihiro looked up, as Arashi stood towering over her in triumph. However, she did not allow herself to cry, as the tears would have been wasted. She had no desire to give them their satisfaction that they wanted; they did not deserve it. Instead, she arose from the floor, which was now very sticky and glared straight in Arashi's face. Though, her drenched dress was causing her great discomfort, she stood up tall with all her remaining self-esteem. She had absolutely no idea of what she was to do next, but was hoping some inspiration might come to her.

Standing only inches apart, Chihiro could smell the foul stench of cigarettes, lingering in his breath. It reminded her of the first, frightful acquaintance she had made with Yubaba in her hideously decorated office, on that fateful day she and her parent's wandered so carelessly into the spirit world.

'Well?' asked Arashi looking straight into her eyes, raising an eye brow; intimidating her. He turned to his group of friends and laughed 'Oh! Look, Ogino is mad at me!' He said in an exaggerated, childish voice 'Oh! What will I do now? Ogino is going to hurt me! Wah! I want my mummy! Haha!'

Laughter spread throughout the entire room, once more. Chihiro felt infuriated at his juvenile remarks. She could not bare this indignity any longer. The scornful laughter filling the room, droned through her head like the incessant buzzing of filthy flies.

She stepped in closer to him and a sneaky smile touched her lips.

'That's it Arashi!' She spat in his face 'You've got it coming!'

With all the strength she had, Chihiro thrust her knee up between his legs, causing him to drop down to the floor, from the unspeakable pain he felt.

After doing so, she started to edge slowly towards the main entrance, whilst Arashi was being swarmed by his 'crew', enquiring if he was alright.

She did not cry nor fear him, like he had anticipated her to, which surprised him and added to his rage. After being utterly humiliated twice by the same girl, who apparently to everyone was the social outcast of the school, he tried to redeem his name and power, by shouting aimlessly at everyone. 'Get Off Me You Idiots! I'm Fine! Go Get That Bitch!' he commanded, barely able to stand up.

This was more than enough of a warning for Chihiro to flee the building. She ran speedily past the school gate, with the clicking of her heeled shoes trailing behind her. A group of tall and built male teens pursued her, following closely behind. Attempting to lose them was a difficult task, as they were very persistent and were probably all a member of a sports team of some kind, therefore making them very athletic people.

They were catching up; the loud stomping of heavy pounding feet behind Chihiro, was enough to inform her of that. The muscles in her legs were beginning to fatigue; this was not good news for Chihiro, as the decrease in speed would not aid her in this situation. She was panting heavily as she ran and her heart raced frantically, from both fear and exhaustion in her muscles.

'_Come on. If I can just make it around that corner. Maybe I'll be able to lose them, there.'_ By now, Chihiro was straining every muscle in her thin body.

Unfortunately, to her misfortune, the heel of one of her shoes snapped off with a crack. At the velocity she was running, she lost her balance very quickly and was soon in contact with the rough surface of the cement pavement. Miscellaneous stones and dirt gashed at her bare skin, revealing the raw flesh under it. Within seconds, blood was soon trickling slowly down her legs and arms, from the various grazes and cuts found on her knees and elbows.

Chihiro knew she had to get up, quickly. There was no time to waste, because before long they would catch up to her. With the pain of her aching muscles, she pulled herself up from the floor, using her little remaining strength. But alas, it was too late. A powerful kick in her back knocked her down to the harsh ground, once more. Simultaneous, ruthless beating was shortly followed. Her body, arms and legs were throbbing with unbearable pain. They towered over her in superiority, sneering at her weak body. They were a sadistic bunch; cruel and merciless.

She was hoping desperately that someone would see her and come to her aid. But sadly, not a soul was to be found.

Using the remainder of her inadequate energy, Chihiro kicked aimlessly into the air. This proved to be effective, as they jerked back in the event of surprise. She saw an opening in the circle of surrounding bodies. Seizing the opportunity, she charged through the gap and was momentarily escaped from the trauma.

Chihiro stepped back, but was curious as to why they did not chase her. However, it did not take long for her to realise the answer, as it soon became apparent to her; she had staggered out into on-coming traffic.

Her eyes widened, as a blinding white light seemed to paralyse her whole body. Freezing on the spot in terror and panic, her mouth became painfully dry. Closer and closer; nearer and nearer it became. Every memory she conserved flashed into motion before her eyes in this, but, single moment. The deafening echo of a horn and the horrendous shriek of skidding tyres, cut through the silence of the crisp night air, as a soundless scream resonated from a motionless mouth.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER!**

Hehe, just joking! I'm not THAT mean…lol…but that would have been a really good cliffy if I did end the chapter there…lol…

* * *

Stopping barely centimetres away from her body, the car came to a halt. Chihiro dropped to her knees, and was instantly overwhelmed with numerous mixed emotions, induced by this ordeal. 

Two rather plump figures immerged hastily from a blue Audi. It was her parent's. They were travelling to the school to pick Chihiro up. Unknown to them, the traumatized girl that was sat in complete shock on the floor in front of their car, _was_ Chihiro; their treasured daughter. Hurriedly, the couple crouched down to assist her.

'Chihiro? Chihiro! Are you okay?' exclaimed her mother with great worry and concern 'What happened? You're cut and bleeding!'

'Mum?' Chihiro looked at her mother with sad eyes. Relieved to see her, Chihiro wrapped her arms tightly around her mother's cuddly body. 'It doesn't matter now, I just want to go home,' she wept.

Without further questioning, both her mother and father helped her carefully into the car.

**

* * *

**

They arrived home without delay. Though the journey home was in silence, Chihiro knew by her mother's concerned face that she was blaming herself.

Chihiro felt like crying, but held it in, agonisingly. She did not want her mother to feel responsible for the ruthless beating she had endured. Before retreating back up to her bedroom, she turned around at the bottom of the staircase and said, with a forced smile,

'Mum, dad. I don't hate you and it's not your fault. Please don't blame yourselves,'

Finishing her sentence, Chihiro ran up the stairs. She swiftly entered her room and closed the door behind her. Collapsing on her bed, she fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

Saturday morning. Chihiro woke up to the glorious sun, shining its magnificent rays brightly through her window. She yawned, still half dreaming, unable to differentiate between the dream world and this real world. She felt eager to start the new day. That was, until reality, came into existence, once again, and the unwanted memories of yesterday flooded back, becoming fresh in her mind. The range of bruises and cuts, hurting in the slightest of movements, caused Chihiro to moan in pain. She felt the discomfort of her unclean dress, sticking to her body. Last night, she was thoroughly exhausted; she did not even have enough strength to merely change out of her filthy dress, before going to sleep. Looking at her clock, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. 

Chihiro could hear her father, downstairs, wailing at her mother to prepare all his things because he was going to be late for work, yet again. This was not out of the ordinary for Chihiro, as it happened almost every morning.

The iciness of the cold, hard floor in the bathroom, took Chihiro by surprise, as she had stepped from the warmth of the soft carpet in the landing. Adjusting to the cooler temperature, she shuddered.

Seam by seam, she ripped off her already-torn dress, feeling quite exasperated with her present life. Throwing it into the bin, she never wanted to see it again.

She turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature to suit her. Climbing in, she lowered herself gently to sit down in the bath tub and allowed the shower to rain down on her back. She wanted it to wash away her despair; for it all to disappear with the water, down the drain, and never return to her.

Her aching muscles and injured body throbbed in pain. Water stung her damaged skin, burning like acid where raw flesh had been revealed. Grief-stricken tears began to escape her eyes, as the happy, yet heart-rending memories of her kind spirit friends…and of Haku played in her mind.

'_Haku. You promised…'_

_

* * *

_

By the time Chihiro went downstairs for breakfast, her mother had already gone to work, leaving her alone in the house.

After placing a couple of slices of bread into the toaster, Chihiro pulled out a small first aid box from one of the many drawers in the kitchen. She dressed her wounds, after cleaning them with antiseptic to avoid any infection.

Placing the two pieces of toast with generously spread strawberry jam on a plate, she took her breakfast to the living room and turned on the TV. Baby cartoons were showing. She grabbed the remote from the other end of the sofa and began flicking through the channels.

Cartoons did not interest Chihiro much, as they all seemed to share the same story line of the hero almost getting killed, but for some strange miraculous reason, ends up saving the day as usual.

At last, she finally stopped at a channel. It caught her attention, instantly. It was a documentary about the Chinese culture and various traditions, involving some information about the spirit world. She decided to watch it, as it may come of use to her.

_In the Chinese custom, at a funeral and on certain special days of the year, the family will burn various different types of paper that is made to symbolize clothes or even money. The spirit of their deceased relative and loved one, will receive all these gifts in their after life. Here, we have some examples of the special paper to show you. _

'Well, I don't exactly have any gifts for Haku, as such…' Chihiro thought aloud to herself '…but, I wonder if a letter counts,'

* * *

Chihiro spent the rest of the afternoon writing a letter to Haku, but never seeming to obtain the exact words that she wanted to express her feelings. Annoyed at this, and with a painful headache, she decided to take a break and go downstairs for a drink and a snack. It was already 6 p.m. and her parents will be returning home soon, from work. She made a cup of tea and grabbed some biscuits and went back upstairs. 

Watching the peaceful sunset, she felt calm and relaxed. The bright orange light seemed to completely engulf the small town that she lived in, as though nothing else in world existed, but this one moment where lovers would be embracing each other, watching the sun go down and caring families would be sharing the warmth of their home, together. Looking out into the distance, Chihiro gave a longing sigh. Though her mind was, now, strangely quiet and calm, her heart still ached in despair.

Feeling slightly refreshed, she picked up her pen and began to write. She had, but, to picture Haku in her mind and a devastating feeling of emotions would begin to crush her heart. Her words were carefully chosen and concise.

Finishing her last sentence, she was pleased with what she had written and held it up, proud, in front of herself. She felt that each and every sentence, written on the page, was a precise reflection of her inner most feelings.

Taking the letter down to the kitchen, she took once last look at it; checking it for grammar and spelling. Suddenly, an unexpected tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto the bottom of the paper, smudging some of the writing. She had not realised, until now, that she had such emotions and feeling for Haku. And that, that was the reason why she wanted to see him again.

Allowing the letter to burn in flames in a large mixing bowl, she watched it turn from firm white paper to charcoal-black flaky ashes. With care, she took the remains to the balcony in her parent's bedroom. Scattering the contents of the bowl into the gentle blowing evening wind, she watched it disappear into the clear night sky.

Sorrowful tears blurred her vision, as she heard Haku's name almost echoing in the wind.

_'Haku...'_

* * *

**A/N – Sorry here's another author's note. You guys must be getting tired of these. Lol. I forgot to give special thanks to KatzEye in the last chapter for giving me a great idea! And also special thanks to IvoryStar for inspiration for a section in this chapter too! Thank you! Argh! I have a cold! And it's awful(having a running nose is disgusting)! Damn my stupid contagiously ill brothers! Lol! Oh, nearly forgot to tell you all, next chapter is all about Haku and his life.**


	6. Chapter 5 : Unexpected Memories

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Spirited Away or any of the characters in it.

**Kitty2211** – I'm really glad you like my story! Thank u for review! 

**Kaggierain – **Thanks for the review, I think you're the first person to call my story captivating, Thank you!

**Sakurablossomskxk** – Thank you for the super nice review! 

**Raining Blood Red Moon **– Thanks for the review! But you may be slightly disappointed with this chapter, sorry. But they will be together again in a few more chapters.

**Lady-Seoh-Phoenix** – Hey, Thanks for reviewing! Sorry for the late update.

**Iznil the Gothic Faery **– Hey, thankies! I think your being too nice, lol. I don't mind getting criticism! Really I don't! lol

**Jessica R **– Thanks for the review! I hope you're still alive! Lol. Sorry for the late update!

**Kammikazzi – **hey! Thanks for reviewing my story! Nope, I'm not reading Carrie.

**Shamanbabe** – Hey! I spoke to you on MSN, lol. U probably think I'm really strange now, lol. But thankies for the review! Sorry for the late update.

**Sparkling-Ruby Gem **– Thanks for reviewing! Really sorry for the late update!

**IvoryStar **– Thank you for the review! It's always appreciated. I've always wanted to go to Japan too! Lol! I'm definitely going to go when I'm older!

**Mamiluvbz** – thanks! I'm glad you like it. This is a chapter all about Haku's life, I hope you'll enjoy it.

**KatzEye** – Hey, thanks for reviewing! Sorry for the late update!

**Depressed Pixie - **Thankies, but sorry, Chihiro doesn't get revenge.

**LadyRainStarDragon** – Thanks for reviewing! It's always appreciated! And yep, I will be elaborating on the idea of how her parents discovered the way she has been treated in the next chapter.

**Crazianimegirl** – Thanks! I just had to have that move somewhere in my story, so I thought to myself, why not this chapter. Lol.

**A/N: **I HAVE AT LONG LAST RETURNED FROM MY POLAR EXPEDITION – RESEARCHING THE AGRICULTURAL REGIONS OF THE FAR NORTH. Lol only joking! Hehe! But it would have been really cool if I had actually been on a polar expedition. Lol.Hi! I'm sorry I made everyone wait so long! Please feel free to throw rotten fruit and vegetables at me – I deserve it! Well, the reasons that it's been such a long time since my last update are because: 1. I had to revise for my exams, 2. I had to take the exams and also revise for other exams, 3. FAR TOO much coursework! 4. All the work from school kept me tied down, so I didn't have time to update! SORRY! But now that most of the coursework is dealt with and all exams are over, I have free time again! My updates will probably be around every 2-3 weeks because my chapters just seem to be getting longer and longer each time! Its crazy! Lol! Or if I write a short one, it will probably be up within a week (But that's highly unlikely though, lol) hmm…anything else I need to mention? Erm…I think that's all I have to say…Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy! Please review afterwards! It's always appreciated! Thank You! Please, it's ok to criticise what I have written – I really don't mind! Constructive criticism is good! Many thanks!

Vocabulary:

Tatami – reed mat that covers the floor of a traditional Japanese room.

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Chapter 5: Unexpected Memories

The determined voices of focused pupils rang through the great training hall of a magnificent Japanese mansion. The clang of metallic weaponry reached the high ceilings and the thud of bodies being slammed to the ground in unarmed combat, shook the walls.

An elderly man dressed in a grand Kimono, a long tradition Japanese garment, arose from an almost throne-like chair. His deep calm voice, echoed through the hall and immediately everything came to a halt. His words flowed smoothly, yet maintained a level of seriousness.

"Students, you have worked hard and displayed a pleasing level of achievement. That will be all for today."

* * *

It was almost summer; all the flowers had bloomed with brilliant colours and fascinating shapes. The single Sakura tree, situated in the centre of the garden, had fully blossomed. The sweet smell of miscellaneous flowers filled the air. A refreshing breeze blew softly through, causing the various flowers to gently sway in synchrony. 

Under the cool shade of the tall Sakura tree, a mature teenage boy lay relaxing comfortably from his day of work. Resting his head in the palms of his hands, Haku watched the glorious sun paint the cloudless sky into various shades of the rainbow, as it descended slowly behind the high misty mountains. Seeing such natural beauty only reminded him of the small gentle human girl, who saved him and reawakened his sense of love and compassion. He closed his eyes, remembering the poignant memories of her and how they shared the adventure that rescued his identity. A small Sakura blossom drifted waveringly in the air, as it leisurely fell down the tree and landed on Haku's chest.

'She's crying again, I can feel it…Chihiro, I'm sorry' 

Haku could not explain it, but he could always sense when Chihiro was crying. It was almost like being connected to her in an unexplainable way. Whenever this would happen, Haku's body would be surged with an indescribable uneasy feeling. He did not particularly enjoy this sensation, because knowing that she was feeling such unhappiness only amplified his already saddened heart. He wished deeply that he could see her again or even just merely contact her, but there was nothing that he could do.

Motionless, Haku lay beside the old tree and sighed helplessly.

"Haku! Haku!" a fair-haired boy shouted as he ran in to the flowering garden, disrupting the peaceful tranquillity.

Haku sat up abruptly and turned immediately towards the boy. "What is it? What's wrong?" he replied with concern in his voice.

"Haku, I only just got the news, but congratulations!"

"For what?" Haku replied, completely bewildered with what the boy was talking about. "I don't know what you're talking about Hatori"

"You being given the Rite of Succession; you being named Master's Successor. That's what I'm talking about!"

"Oh. Thank you" Haku looked down to the ground, seeming almost disappointed.

"What's wrong?" Hatori asked, "You don't look too happy about it"

"I don't know, I guess I just feel that I'm not worthy enough"

Haku was lying; he was hiding the truth. It was not that he felt he was not worthy but that he did not want to become leader. To be named Successor was an honour like no other; it was to have authority and power over all the dragon clan, but Haku did not want it. He merely wanted to live a happy peaceful life, just like when he was younger, before he had been suppressed to become Yubaba's apprentice. The liberation from all his responsibilities and the freedom that he greatly desired had been stolen from him long ago on that ill-fated day when the humans filled in the Kohaku River.

'_Why are humans so selfish? They show no respect for the natural environment, polluting and destroying it to satisfy their hunger for power and their obsession for wealth. But then, why would such a kind soul like Chihiro exist in such a cruel world?' Haku argued with himself 'how can I hold such hatred for the race that Chihiro belongs? It makes no sense; she is like a single blooming flower in a barren land. If it were not for Chihiro, I would still be at Yubaba's beckoned call.'_

"Haku, don't say that. You're the most worthy out of us all! You're loyal and strong and wise!" said Hatori, assuring Haku "Oh, I forgot! I'm sorry, but I have to go; I'm needed at the house. Bye Haku!"

"Bye"

Haku now lived in a gigantic Japanese mansion, along with many other dragons. Over the previous five years, he had become taller and his face had grown more mature. His hairstyle had changed slightly. Instead of being orderly and very Egyptian-like, his green-black hair was now shaped with layers and slightly shorter, but was still lengthy enough to be considered as long. Also, his bangs were not trimmed to a straight edge; they were still neat but now choppy with irregular lengths of hair, both long and short. His shoulders had broadened and each muscle on his body was more defined. He was popular among the students, but was still very conservative of his heritage and feelings. Girls praised him for his handsome features and the boys admired his strength and wisdom. Many were actually very envious of him.

The mansion was built many thousands of centuries ago and is recognised as the main palace and the central meeting point for the dragon empire. It occupies much of the land in the Far East regions of the spirit world. A relatively substantial section of the mansion is used as a school to train the new generation of dragons. The Great Master appoints a few Elders to teach the young dragons new skills to fight and use magical spells. Also, to educate them with the knowledge of the history of the spirit world and about the different clans that exist within it. When the Great Master nears the end of his life and decides to reincarnate into his next life, he chooses a worthy subject to become his Successor to rule and guide the entire dragon clan. This occurs around every millennium.

* * *

After a wash, Haku retreated to his room and lit an old ceramic oil lamp. His room was a traditional and authentic Japanese bedroom; it was very plain and simple. The floor was covered with tatami mats and the walls were paper-made with a sliding wooden-framed door. The room consisted of a low table with a single oil lamp, and a folded up futon for regular use. The small flickering orange flame and glowed dimly, casting faint shadows onto the fragile walls. Drained after a day of training, Haku stretched and yawned, tiredly. He began to spread his futon over the tatami mats, when his attention was suddenly drawn a piece of crisp white paper lying neatly on the table, in the far corner of the room. 

He picked it up, and by instinct scanned down the page for the sender. Registering the name, he froze with shock and felt his heart skip a beat. He stood still, eagerly reading the letter.

_Dear Haku, _

_It's been a while. I guess the normal way to start the letter would be to ask, "How have you been?" and say, "I've missed you", but I have chosen not to follow this tradition. Yes, it is true that I have missed you dearly, but I am not sure that just simple questions and statements like those can convey the wealth of emotions that I feel. _

_Everyone is endowed by the capacity to feel emotions, and everyone's actions are influenced by their deepest feelings, including my own. I miss you Haku, more than I will ever be able to describe. Having experienced that unforgettable adventure with you, I do not feel that I will ever be able to fully adapt to life again here, in the human world. If my father had not taken that wrong turn off five years ago and then so carelessly wandered into your world, I would not be the person that I am today, instead I would have still been a spoiled rotten little horror. I'm glad that I'm not some kind of money-hungry monster. But, not that there is anything wrong with monsters, of course; the radish spirit and the various other beings were always so kind to me. Even though I had to work long hours for Yubaba, I miss working with all those pleasant people. I even miss Rin ordering me around, because she always looked out for me like an older sister. But out of all the spirits, the one who I especially miss is you, Haku. I always felt like I could be myself around you; you made me feel comfortable. In the spirit world, even though I am human, everyone still accepted me for who I was, but here in the human world, I'm exactly sure how to put this, but things are slightly different for me. _

_I went to look for the entrance to your world, many times. But for some odd reason, I could never find that trail again. Sometimes I wandered for hours, just looking for those little shrines, hoping that I would be led to the red clock tower again, but I never was. When you have no intention of finding something, it always seems to be there, but when you desperately want to find it, it can never be found. Funny how things like that work out, don't you think? Maybe that was your way of telling me that I should move on with my life._

_Although, I feel that I do not truly belong, I am however content with the love of my mother and father. It is the promise, together with the wonderful memories of my spirit friends that give me the motivation that I need to keep going and continue my life. Haku, thank you for being a good friend to me and for saving my life twice. I will never forget all the things that you have done for me._

_Thank you Haku, I will always treasure the heart-warming memories we shared. I promise._

_I wish you the greatest happiness_

_Chihiro_

The quietly crackling candle flame was all that was heard through the absolute silence of the bedroom. Haku stood unmoved in the same position that he had first picked up the letter and discovered that it was from Chihiro. He stroked the length of the paper gently with the back of his right hand. Nearing the bottom of the page, his hand stopped as he noticed a few slightly smudged words.

'She was crying,' Haku realised. 

The feeling of desperation and desire burned through his veins. The very same blazing sensation that he had felt for five long years, created on that last memorable day he held her small tender hand for the final time, before she disappeared from his world and his life forever.

Chihiro was like his sun - the light that illuminated his entire life. Her kindness made her glow with warmth and her gentle smile seemed to make everything shine with vibrant colours. She was the sunlight that melted away the frozen ice that surrounded his heart, releasing him from his emotionless self.

But sadly, like each passing day the sun must set and the night that comes is bitter cold and dreary, just as Haku's heart was left in the gloom of loneliness. The warm sunlight that once filled his heart was now long gone.

Haku shifted restlessly in his bed, with the kind yet cruel words of the letter still lingering heavily on his mind. Each and every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was Chihiro; all his thoughts were consumed by her recurring image. He stared blankly into the pitch-black darkness of the room, as the long night dragged endlessly on.

"Chihiro, I want to see you again,"

* * *

During the extent of the night, he had decisively come to a conclusion for how he could reply to Chihiro. When the dawning sun at last shone through his window, he got up immediately and dressed. In these early hours of the day, he walked quietly and swiftly through the empty hallways, ensuring that he did not disturb or wake any of the resting inhabitants of the mansion. He arrived at the Great Ceremonial Hall within minutes and stood confidently before the mammoth-sized doors. 

Creaking slowly open, the doors revealed an enormous, majestic hall. Long red drapes hung neatly from high spotless, arched windows. The granite stonewalls were carved into detailed, yet tasteful figures and patterns. A grand chandelier hung central off the masterful artwork of the painted ceiling. A relatively wide red carpet ran along the centre of the smooth, marbled floor and climbed up three steps to join a raised platform that was covered with the same red carpet. Nothing was out of place. In contrast to the other archaic and simple rooms of the mansion, the hall was contemporary and very luxurious.

In the centre of the raised platform, sat a poised man in an ostentatious throne. Haku neared the steps and knelt into a respectively low bow.

"Rise," The Great Master, gestured Haku to arise from his current position.

"Thank you Master, but I have come with a request," Haku replied

"It is about the human girl, Chihiro, is it not?"

"Yes Master"

"Young Dragon, do you know why you can sense her tears? It is fate's voice telling you not to forget your promise. I understand that you wish to see her, but now is not the time. You will one day meet again, I assure you of that, but until the day that destiny allows you to meet, I warn you not to attempt to cross the border again. The force that is radiated from the veil that separates our two worlds is far too great for your body to withstand another severe strain; you will not survive. When I found you, you were almost dead, but you still had the unparallel determination, driving you to stand up to make another attempt at crossing the grasslands. Your tremendous bravery and outstanding valour are truly admirable, but you must realise that your river no longer remains in her world and so you cannot justify your presence there. If you wish to see her again, heed my advice young dragon."

"Thank you Master, I will follow your guidance. But I recall reading in the ancient texts that if one were to offer their own immortal soul, they would be granted one wish, am I not correct?"

"Yes you are correct, but are you aware of the consequences that pursue this trade? Your soon eventual death will become inevitable and your life span will be much shorter than that of other dragons. Once you are deceased, you will not be able to reincarnate into a next life and will always remain painfully detained in the depths of the spirit realm for eternity."

"Master, I fully understand the results of my decision, but am I not already a prisoner to this world? If like you say, fate will one day bring us together again, then my existence as an immortal is insignificant and irrelevant. For the past five years, you were the only one who truly understood me; you have been like a father to me."

"Yes and you a son to me, that is why I have chosen you to succeed me. I understand that nothing that I will say or do will change your decision, but I must stress to you that once the ceremony has commenced, it cannot be stopped and once completed, you will not be able to regain possession of your immortal soul."

Haku lowered his head, bowing with respect to his Master.

"I, Dragon Spirit of theKohakuhushi Riverand descendent of theNighayami family, humbly offer my immortal soul in exchange for one wish to be granted."

The master gave a deep, regretful sigh. "Very well young dragon, what is thy desire?"

"I am aware that fate will guide us to be together again, but until that day, I wish for her, the mortal human girl Chihiro Ogino, to be happy."

"Very well, as you wish young dragon". Haku stood, unsure of what to expect. The Great Master arose from his magnificent throne and the ceremony began immediately.

Murmuring various incantations, he formed a ring of flames. Within the ring, what seemed to be like a fire-consumed dragon materialised from the centre. Seeing this, Haku's eyes widened, but he soon returned to his expressionless self and stood, confident with the decision that he had chosen. The scorching entity gave out a deafening screech and seconds later, Haku felt his entire body become immobile. Chanting his incantations louder, the Great Master pulled out an old talisman and threw it in the air above Haku's head. It emitted a blinding light and generated a pillar all around him. His heart was pounding. From inside, he could see nothing but white light.

The fire-blistering entity spiralled up and down the pillar, making it appear like a column engulfed by flames. Watching his surroundings suddenly turn from a pure light into a range of oranges, reds and blues, Haku's memories were triggered; a person sprung to mind. Unexpectedly, the face that he saw was not Chihiro's.

Forgotten memories of a familiar face played before his very eyes. These abandoned memories were of a girl who was much younger than he was. Her long wavy hair framed two large almond-shaped eyes. The bright sparkle in her eyes complimented her subtle hair colour, a delicate shade of lilac resembling that of lavenders. The pleasant colour of her eyes was similar to that of beautiful violets shining in the summer sun. She was familiar but her name escaped him. Watching her young presence in his mind and hearing her beautiful soft laugh, Haku felt a great sadness grow inside. Though he was unsure of who she was, he had a great desire to protect her. But for some unknown reason, he could not reach her. As her image became more and more distant, he felt the desperate need to discover her identity. Finding this task challenging, he cleared his thoughts and tried to concentrate.

But sadly, before he could focus on her again, the fire-blistering entity left the wall of the pillar and dove directly into Haku's heart. Immediately, he was overwhelmed with excruciating pain. Chocking, his muscles tensed even though he was paralysed. He felt as though his organs were being ripped apart. Keen, sharp agonies shot from his neck downwards, in short intervals. His blood boiled. His muscles burned. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. With its jagged diamond fangs, the entity tore away Haku's immortal soul, gouging it effortlessly from his heart. A thick shower of rich blood spurted from Haku's mouth and fell to the ground like heavy red rain. It slowly dripped down his enervated jaw like trickling red syrup. His consciousness wavered, as both the vividness of reality and the unsure pit of darkness seemed to merge together in one. His vision blurred and all he could see was the fading image of that familiar face, stained with the inimitable colour of blood.

Leaving his weakened body, the scorching entity flew up to the centre of the pillar with a sphere of pure white light locked in its jaw. Circling the talisman, it disappeared traceless. And with it, vanished the surrounding pillar and the immobilisation of Haku's body.

"Ayumi…" An unintentional whisper escaped his lips.

His eyes grew heavy, as the scenery around him slowly dissolved into the depths of oblivion. With a blunt thud, he collapsed in a heap on the cold, marbled floor, unconscious. An anomalous tear trickled down his pale face, as he lay motionless on the smooth, yet hard ground.

* * *

Oooooooo! Who is she? This girl who nobody knows about? Mystery lurks in the air! Hehe! Oh! And what did you think of Haku? Was the description ok? 

So, as a whole, was the chapter any good? Please tell me if it didn't live up to your expectations! Thank you for reading my story! See you all next time in my next chapter! Thank You! Bye! Sorry again for the elongated updating of this chapter!


	7. Chapter 6 : The Illusory Accident

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Spirited Away or any of the characters in it.

**Iznil the Gothic Faery** – Thank u!

**Kia twee** – thank you! But I have to answer your review with a no comment! I'm sorry, the answer could either be a yes or a no! Sorry! Hehe.

**Depressed pixie** – thanks!

**KatzEye** – Thank u so much! I did put a lot of effort in the description actually, I'm glad u noticed. Lol thank u.

**Aurorasrisen** – Thanks! I will definitely try to keep up the good work. I glad u think it IS good work to begin with. Lol. I really like ur story btw. Lol.

**Sparkling-Ruby Gem** – Thank u! Since you have been a loyal reviewer, I will tell u! Hehe, Haku will definitely see Chihiro again! Just be patient for a little longer and it will happen! Hehe.

**Absolutely ludicrous** – Thank you!

**Sweetdreamer** – thanks for the review! Well, I can't really tell you much more about the mystery girl yet. But you will find out in a few more chapters.

**Crazianimegirl** – Thank u so much! I'm glad it wasn't too cheesy, lol. Oh thank u so much for pointing out that its Kohaku – I changed it straight away! You see, without nice reviewers like you, I never would have known – that's the good thing about having people review your story. Lol.

**A/N – **Hey! It's me again, obviously. Lol. How have you all been since my previous update? I'm not too keen on this chapter; I don't think it is all that good. Hmm…there's quite a lot of dialogue in this chapter, that's probably why… Lol. Anyway, I'm sorry to all the readers but you don't actually find out who the mystery girl is until a few more chapters into the story– I took the time to plan out what happens in each chapter you see. Sorry, but if keep reading, you will find out! I think the repeated swearing at the end of this chapter adds to the realism, I mean if something serious like that happened, wouldn't you keep repeating a word because you can't think clearly. On second hand, it could just be me. Lol. Again, thank you to all the reviewers! You guys are awesome! Anyways, on with the chapter! Please review afterwards if you have time! Thank you! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: The Illusory "Accident"

As he woke, Haku opened his eyes slowly to adjust to the lighting of the room. Squinting at the strange yet familiar surroundings, he tried to identify his location. He realised that he was no longer at the mansion when he acknowledged the western style of the room. The room itself did not keep to a particular colour scheme; in fact no two objects in the room seemed to match, but were still pleasing to the eye.

A relaxing scent of vanilla and lavender drifted in the air. Apart from the bed, a wooden dressing table, a low stool and a small wardrobe, there was no other furniture in the room. The shallow white walls were painted with floral patterns and the bed he lay on was high off the ground, unlike the traditional futon that he was use to sleeping on. The feathery pillows and velvet duvet were of different colours: soft shades of red and blue, respectively. And hanging from the four wooden posts surrounding the bed was a translucent veil made from a fine and delicate, pale lilac material. Haku lay back in the springy, comfortable bed and looked directly up at the ceiling through the thin cloak of silky material above, and saw that there was a thatched roof covering the house. He recognised where he was and knew that he was safe.

Haku lowered his eyes and sighed.

'Master must have brought me here after I passed out. But why here?' 

Although his wounds were not external, he saw that his chest had been bandaged with some clean white linen cloth. Touching the injured region of his upper body lightly, Haku groaned sorely. His internal wounds were deep; he could feel sharp ripping pains in his thorax from just the slightest of movements. Shuffling carefully to the side of the double bed, he placed his feet on the ground and sat up, propping the heavy weight of his body up with his arms straight by his sides and his hands placed firmly on the mattress. His body was still very weak from the ceremony.

'I wonder how long I have been sleeping for…' 

The atmosphere in the room was rather hot and stuffy, making him feel quite uncomfortable. Looking around, Haku spotted a pair of closed wooden shutters with peeling flaky green paint. He edged to the end of the bed. Lifting himself slowly from his sedentary position, he stood up and supported himself against one of the bedposts. He could tell that during the ceremony, his body had suffered a serious strain; he could barely stand up. Attempting to open the window for some ventilation of the humidity, Haku began to stagger gradually across the room.

By now, he was well over half way to reaching his destination. But a sudden surge of pain from his heart caused his muscles to contract, resulting in him crashing into the nearby dressing table and knocking the disordered assortment of glass objects off. With a fierce smash, the glassware shattered violently across the uncarpeted surface of the floor.

Hearing all the chaotic noise, a plump old lady rushed in immediately. Alarmed to see her patient on the floor, sat leaning against the side of the dressing table with numerous shards of glass stuck in his hands, she hastily went to assist Haku off the ground.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" Zeneba questioned frantically with her deep loud voice, as she helped him back into bed.

"I'm fine," answered Haku weakly.

With a flick of a finger, the glass debris was removed painlessly and two strips of white linen cloth began wrap themselves around his hands. With another flick of a finger, Zeneba ordered all the glass on the floor to return to the dressing table and refit back into their original shapes. Satisfied with what she saw, she gave a pleasing nod and turned back to Haku.

"Now, what on Earth were you doing out of bed, Haku?" she questioned, genuinely concerned about him.

"Nothing, I just wanted to open the window," he replied pathetically.

Yet again, Zeneba flicked her finger and the window automatically opened. The cause of her obesity was not a mystery. She never had to do anything herself; she merely had to flick a finger and all her desires would be granted. It was only the occasional sewing and cooking that she did without the use of magic, because those were her recreation activities that she enjoyed doing. But mostly in her spare time, she would take the pleasure out of wreaking havoc at the bathhouse for her sister, Yubaba, to deal with. Though her age was more than we could comprehend, she was quite a cheeky and fun old granny.

The sunlight from outside reflected off her large grotesque blue dress onto the walls, tinting them with a faint blue colour, like the sky.

"Why didn't you just call for me or even just call for No-Face?"

"I didn't see the necessity to call you for such a trivial task,"

"Nonsense, you need to rest, dear; you've been through a lot,"

Almost dismissing her last remark completely, Haku went on to ask "How long have I been sleeping?"

"For over a week now, but despite that, you still need to stay in bed,"

"Why did Master bring me here?"

Sensing that Haku would be asking more questions, she sat down on the low stool by the dressing table, before answering his question. "Well, Emperor Hiromitsu brought you here because he wishes for you to stay here to rest. He told me about the ceremony,"

"I see. So when did Master say I will be returning back to the palace?"

"He asked for you not to return to the dragon lands in the East; he believes that it is safer for you here,"

"What?"

"I realise that this is very difficult for you, but he left the book of Maryoku in my possession and wishes for you to train here and study from the ancient book, but that is only when you have fully recovered. He also said that when the time is right, you will one day return to the palace and claim your rightful place as ruler,"

Haku looks down at his hands. "I understand,"

"Haku, you must take great care with the book of Maryoku; it holds extremely powerful magic and is one of the five most powerful spell books found in the spirit world. Dear, please don't fret, he cares a lot about you, I can tell,"

"I know,"

Zeneba pulled out the top drawer of the dressing table and began to rummage through the contents. She pulled out a little dusty wooden jewellery box and placed it on the table. Unfastening the silver latch and lifting open the lid, she pulled out a faded-red, old hair tie. Walking over to the bed, the shoes on her little feet made a clicking noise on the ground. As she sat down next to Haku, the bed sloped to one side because of her weight.

"Here take this. You ought to have it; it will probably mean more to you than it does me. It was hers; she accidentally left it here after I gave her a crystal one, before she returned to the human world,"

"Thank you,"

Taking the hair tie, he looked at it with his stone face. But, he wasn't fooling anyone with that emotionless expression; Zeneba could see the deep loss that he felt, burning in his eyes. It was the last thing that remained of her in this spirited world that she had parted from five years ago. He held it tightly, reflecting on the time they shared together and how he misses that time very much.

"Did Master say how Chihiro was to be happy again?"

"Well dear, yes. There isn't really another way for me to say this, so here it goes: Chihiro is going to lose her memory,"

Hearing the last clause of her speech, Haku cast his eyes down to his hands, shadowing them behind his hair. A moment of silence suspended between the two. Zeneba knew that had she said anymore it would only have pulled harder at his heartstrings and she did not want him to feel a deeper loss than he already did. She was not even able to find words that would come close to comforting him. There was nothing that she could say; all she could do was wait for him to acknowledge and accept what she had said.

"So, it was her memories of this place that caused her unhappiness?" Haku still had his eyes shadowed behind his hair so that Zeneba could not see how he felt. But, Zeneba knew, just from that lasting silence, exactly how Haku felt inside; she could read him like a book. "Even after all these years, she held onto those memories of us. You know Zeneba, she told me something in a letter she wrote to me,"

"And what was that, dear?"

Haku smiled an untrue smile, almost laughing at the irony of it all.

"She told me that it was her experiences _here_ and her friends _here_ that motivates her,"

Haku lifted his head and looked out of the window, gazing with uncertainty at the vast blue sky.

'I wonder…did I really make the right decision?'

* * *

Monday. The first school day of the week had come once again. Chihiro looked down at the several grazes found on her arms and legs and sighed, dreading the school day. It was early morning and she had just had a wash and was in her room preparing for school, when she heard something tapping quietly against the windowpane. She went to look.

"Rain?"

She was surprised to see this type of weather because it hadn't rained since early spring, which was a good few months ago. She stood by her window, staring out at the thick dark clouds, looming in the sky and the slanting rain, falling heavily to the ground. This rain, it was strange because Chihiro wasn't sure how, but she felt as though she could feel somebody crying.

'There's something very sad about this rain,' she thought to herself. 

It was often told that sky dragons, like Haku's Master - Emperor Hiromitsu, had the power to affect and change the weather at will and whenever they pleased. But in this case, for Haku to have done something so selfless, even the sky was touched by this act of love and took pity on these star-crossed lovers and cried. Each tear of rain held more love and sadness than Chihiro would ever realise.

* * *

"Chihiro Ogino of class 1B please report to the principal's office, immediately. I repeat Chihiro Ogino of class 1B please report to the principal's office, immediately. Thank you,"

At the time when the announcement was called out, Chihiro was standing by her locker, gathering her things for the swimming lesson. After hearing the broadcast, she closed her locker and headed towards the principal's office at once.

On the way, she received a few nasty sniggers and rude remarks, but wisely chose to ignore them. And besides, she had too much on her mind to even care about what her cruel peers thought anyway.

'_Oh no, what could it be? I've never been called out of class before,'_ Chihiro thought worryingly. _'What if it's all the hurting that I've been doing recently? I mean I did slap Akiko and what about Arashi? Oh no! What if it IS that? What if I made him impotent and now he's told the principal? What if I get suspended? Or even expelled? How am I going to explain this to my parents? That will be a pleasant conversation, won't it…'Hi mom, hi dad, I made a boy from school impotent and now I've been expelled from school, I hope you don't mind,' what will they think of me? They're going to be so ashamed of me, I'll never be able to face them again…' _

Chihiro was panicking; she didn't know what to do. When she arrived at the office, she knocked on the door hesitantly. The more she thought about the reasons why she was there, the more the unrealistic and strange the possibilities became. She even thought it could be something to do with her lunch, which is highly improbable!

"Come in!" A woman's voice called from inside the room.

Chihiro turned the metal doorknob with a shaky unsure hand. When the room was finally exposed to her, she went directly into a low bow and spoke in a trembling voice:

"H-Hello Mrs. Nanahara. I-I hope I'm not intruding,"

"Chihiro!" Two familiar voices called her name.

She looked up and unexpectedly saw her parents sat in the chairs, opposite the principal.

"Mom, dad? What are you doing here?"

"Your parents came here today to discuss the matter of misbehaviour among certain students in this school,"

"Have I done something wrong? Because if I have, I'm very sorry; I didn't know you see,"

"No no dear, Mrs Nanahara is talking about bullying,"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was bullying anyone, please let me apologise to them. I won't do it again, I promise,"

"No, Chihiro listen, your parents came here today to try to resolve the bullying, not on others, but on yourself. Do you understand?"

"Oh I see,"

"Now please be seated, Chihiro,"

The principal indicated a chair next to her parents and Chihiro sat down obediently. She breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself. Her heart was still racing and her hands were still very sweaty. But admittedly, she was relieved to know that she wasn't there because she had done something wrong.

The rich aroma of coffee hung in the air and clung to the various pieces of furniture in the room. It reminded Chihiro of the thick, sticky cigarette smoke in Yubaba's office. The blinds on the windows were open but not much light was shining through, so the artificial lights were switched on. Looking out of the window, Chihiro saw that the weather hadn't improved much since this morning and was still very gloomy. The office itself was quite spacious, but had a few too many filing cabinets, making the room seem cluttered. But that was expected of schools, which had many pupils attending. The office wasn't a particularly bright place; it mostly consisted of dull shades of grey with the exception of a few personal items, such as a framed photograph. It looked as though her principal liked to keep up a very professional appearance.

"Chihiro, I have already discussed this with your parents, but I believe that you ought to know also. Teachers have been noticing certain students misbehaving towards you and have reported these sightings, in particular at the recent school dance. We have firstly given these pupils warnings and then detentions. But that did not seem to take effect, so we even suspended a girl from your class, Mahiru one of your bullies, as a warning to others, dissuading them to continue. But that also did not work, did it?" She pointed at the cuts on Chihiro's arms. "We have now come to our last resort – extra protection from teachers. As of today, a teacher will be escorting you to each and every lesson and the teacher of the lesson will keep a watch on you so that you will not be harmed,"

"What?" Chihiro exclaimed "No you can't!"

The sudden outburst took both her parents and the principal by shock.

"Chihiro, calm down this instant!" Her principal gave her a stern look, "This is only for your own safety,"

"Don't you understand?" Chihiro wasn't calming down, but she had a valid reason for not doing so. "If you do this, I'll just be bullied even more! The teachers can't watch over me every second of the day for the rest of my life!"

It was true – they couldn't. And when a teacher was not watching her, what then? At the very least she would be teased, but that is only the VERY least. The harassment from others will most likely become more frequent as a result of carrying out this so-called protection plan. Her classmates will probably think that Chihiro requested the extra protection herself, which will subsequently distance her further from the social groups within the school and provoke more violent bullying on her – physical abuse.

"I DON'T WANT THE PROTECTION!" Chihiro stood up and in a more controlled voice said, "I'm sorry, but you will have to excuse me - I have to get back to class now," She gave another bow and left the room.

* * *

Chihiro changed into her swimming costume with no haste. Yes, she did say that she needed to get back to class, but once she was in the changing rooms, she wanted to delay as much as possible. She spent the time hiding her school uniform and other possessions in one of the toilet cubicles so that the other girls would not find her things after the lesson. This has happened before and on the previous time, they scattered all her clothes around the school in the busiest hallways for Chihiro to humiliatingly find each piece of her uniform, whilst still being in her swimming costume.

Looking at the clock, she gave a tiresome sigh and headed towards the pool area. The strong smell of chlorine lurked heavily in the humid air. It has been a couple of weeks since Chihiro last had a swimming lesson. The lessons for the previous two weeks had been cancelled due to the unbalanced proportions of the chemicals in the water. Although she was lucky enough to have missed two of her swimming lessons, she still felt reluctant in joining the class.

When her eyes caught sight of the stairs that lead to the pool, she gave another sigh and began to think about what she had just said to her parents and the principal. Her parents would probably punish her when she got home and as for the principal, she would probably tell Chihiro to go to the nurse and let the nurse reason her into agreeing to the protection plan.

So deep in thought, Chihiro did not notice a most definitely recognisable boy, standing at the bottom of the stairs. It was the scumbag Arashi and another one of his friends, Takakazu. They saw her slowly descending down the stairs, but Chihiro herself still remained clueless of their presence. Detecting that she was completely unaware of the two, Arashi decided to take advantage of this.

"Hey Takakazu," he whispered, "Watch this,"

With a broad and vengeful grin on his face, Arashi stuck out his foot as Chihiro reached the bottom step. And as he had planned, she tripped over it embarrassingly. Instantly, Arashi burst into laughter as Chihiro began to fall. But the floor was wet. Unable to regain her balance on the slippery surface of the wet tiled floor, she slipped backwards. With a brutal smash, the back of her head crashed quickly into the rock-hard edge of the bottom step. Shock. Pain. These were the only two emotions that she could feel. The two boys watched, laughing at what had just happened to her. But a moment had passed and she still remained unmoved. The mocking laughter soon changed to take a more serious tone when realisation struck them. Blood.

"Fuck! She's bleeding!" Takakazu yelled as he crouched down hastily to help her, "Fuck! Arashi, What the hell did you do that for? Fuck! Ogino, can you hear me?"

"I-I-I-I," Arashi stood shocked and unable to answer his friend. Guilty thoughts rushed through his mind; he would more than likely be blamed for this and be in a heap of great trouble. His hands were sweating and his body was shaking; he didn't know what to do.

"Fuck! Arashi get help! Oh Fuck! OGINO! STAY AWAKE!"

Takakazu held her closer and more securely. Chihiro looked up and for a split second, she thought she saw Haku, holding her tightly in the warmth of his arms. She thought she could see his beautiful delicate face. This illusion was so real that she could almost feel his velvet skin and smell his unique, yet pleasant scent. She smiled a soft and weak smile.

"Haku…" she murmured in a fading voice.

The welcoming darkness attracted her mind so invitingly, drawing her deeper and deeper into its shadows. Her blood seeped slowly into the cracks of the tiles as she fell unconscious. Locking away in the furthest recesses of her mind, that collection of past thoughts and experiences that people more commonly know as memories.

**

* * *

A/N – Before I have people screaming and shouting at me for killing off the main character, can I just say that Chihiro is NOT dead! Lol. Please review if you have time. It's always appreciated. Thank u!**


	8. Chapter 7 : A New Life

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Spirited Away or any of the characters in it. (It gets really tiring writing that every time. Hmm. Maybe next time I'll think of a more creative one. Lol.)

**Imisseduhaku** – Thanks! I'm glad you like my story. Hope to hear from you again!

**Killua** – Thank you so much! Really! But I have to argue with you slightly, I don't think my story is as good as a masterpiece, but I believe it's mediocre. Lol. I'm still super-happy that you like my story though! Hope to hear from you again!

**Nichelly** – Your grand debut has finally arrived! Lol. But I kind of sacked the idea I first came up with because it's slightly a bit too unrealistic you see. I hope you like your adapted role anyway!

**Chibi-Lina-san** – Thank you! Your review made me feel nice and happy inside! It's thanks to the super nice reviews like yours that motivates me to write! Thank you!

**Sparkling-Ruby Gem – **Lol! Thanks! I'm glad you feel so passionate towards my story! Lol! You reviewed my story so quickly after I updated it and it really made me happy to see a review so quickly! Hehe

**A/N: **Heylo Everyone! I hope you didn't feel that the wait for this chapter was too long. The character Nicola Archbold (Nichelly) of this chapter is actually one of my really good friends in real life. She wanted a part in my story so I gave a small role to play in this chapter. Hope she likes it (because if not, I probably won't survive to write another chapter! Lol!) I've also been experimenting with Chihiro and her new life as a normal person. I've tried not to make her a "perfect" person, because let's face it; no "normal" person is perfect. Lol. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter – it has a happier feel about it than my other chapters (if you understand what I mean…lol) Anyways, enough with me rambling on. Please review afterwards if you have time! Thank You!

* * *

Chapter 7: A New Life

-_ Ring, Ring_ -

"Hello?"

"Hey Chihiro, it's me"

"Oh, it's _you_ Takakazu. What do _you_ want?"

"Chihiro, listen. I'm sorry, okay?"

"You were busy, what is there to apologise for? It wasn't your fault that you couldn't come to see me or even just call me on my birthday. I mean you were out clubbing with your friends and getting totally wasted, it's perfectly understandable,"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Daisuke and his family are moving to another country, so we had to throw him a leaving party,"

"No need to explain; it's clear that you have your priorities set. Shame you won't ever be on my priorities list again,"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"We're breaking up, or are you too busy to even break up? Shall I leave a message on your answer machine so that you can listen to it in the morning when you have a hang-over?"

"What?"

"Don't ever call me again!"

Chihiro slammed her phone down, infuriated at her former boyfriend.

It's been five years since the day of the "accident" and Chihiro is now 20 years old. She is in her second year at college and is going out with Takakazu (or at least _was_). The college that she attends is quite a prestigious theatre school in Japan. Having missed a lot of work from school, she didn't know whether or not she could catch up, and so asked her parents if she could mainly focus on studying arts - learning how to sing and dance. Chihiro spent about six months in hospital after waking up from a yearlong coma. When she did finally wake, her parents were overwhelmed with joy. Although she did not recognise them, her parents were still very happy to see her well. After a six-month recovery time in hospital, the doctors allowed for Chihiro to go home. They thought that maybe if she went home, her surroundings would stimulate her brain and cause her memories to be triggered. And they were right, after another six months of being home with her parents, she remember most of what she had forgotten; she remembered her own identity and that of her parents. She also remembered her previous hometown and the friends that she had when she lived there. But no matter how hard she tried, the memories of what had transpired in her present hometown never came back to her. That intentional accident became the turning point in Chihiro's young life.

* * *

"Hey Yukari!" Chihiro shouted as she waited for her friend to exit the hall. "That was an awesome audition! I really think you got the part in the next production!"

"Oh hey Chihiro!" Yukari responded "You know, I think you should have auditioned too; you have a really beautiful voice,"

Chihiro met Yukari when they were both freshman at college. After recovering from the accident, naturally Chihiro had always felt awkward about making new friends and moving to new places, so it was quite a big deal for her to go to college and be separated from her parents. On their first day of college, both Yukari and Chihiro arrived early into school. But Chihiro was shyer and somewhat more timid than she usually was, however Yukari being the lively but also rather eccentric soul that she is, approached Chihiro and they've been best friends since.

"No, there's just way too much dancing in this show. I can't dance as well as I sing, you know; I'm not as graceful as you. Anyway, now that classes and auditions are over, what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Not sure. You got anything in mind?"

"Erm. How about a picnic?"

"Yeah, a picnic sounds great!"

* * *

The two found an empty spot on the grass area, near the stone water fountain in the garden at their campus. The towering building of the dorms provided cool shade from the sun. The shadow that it cast covered about a third of the garden area. A few students were sat on the wooden benches surrounding the running fountain, conversing. Others were seen having a laugh on the grass whilst sunbathing with friends. It was a beautiful warm summers day and everyone was outside. Whether sunbathing or picnicking or even studying, everyone was there, just enjoying the pleasant weather.

"Yiw madve fese youvrself?" Yukari complemented "Fese rice balls are gwreat! I liove salmon!"

"Thanks. I think," Chihiro laughed, "It was kind of difficult to make out what you said with a mouthful of rice,"

With Yukari gobbling down all the food, the picnic was soon over. They decided to lie down on the grass and watch the clouds float by, for some relaxation from all the stress that they have been recently coping with in school. But their relaxation session was not long lasting. Disrupted by the infamous Nicola Archbold scaring the new students of the school, both Chihiro and Yukari's attention were drawn to her. Nicola is a foreign exchange student from England and went to Japan to study the Japanese theatre. Though she was from England, she spoke fluent Japanese, with only the occasional grammatical error. It usually was quite amusing to watch her because the gullible first years always seemed to believe her stories.

"Holy Crap!" Nicola yelled in an utterly terrified voice, trembling all over.

"What's wrong?" A group of first years went to assist her "Are you alright? CAN-YOU-UNDERSTAND-US-?"

"Of course I can! Just because I'm a foreigner doesn't mean that I can't understand you!"

"Sorry, but are you alright?"

"No! I mean, I don't know. It was so awful!"

"What was?" The first years tensed and were very keen to listen.

"I was in the toilets," she continued "But I wasn't alone, I could hear that there was someone in there with me because the taps were dripping and it sounded like someone washing their hands or something,"

"Really?" One of the first years asked in concern. "Did they do anything to you?"

"No, when I went to look, there was nobody there. But the second I went back into the cubicle I heard dripping again and something like somebody washing their hands,"

"You're lying," They said.

"I'm not! How can you even say that? The lights then suddenly flickered off and when I went out to look, I heard footsteps and then when I looked in the mirror…"

Nicola looked at them as they listened intently.

"If you don't believe, go there yourselves. Turn off the lights and then look at the mirror; you'll see something that you will never forget," Nicola looked them straight in the eye, assuring them that she wasn't lying.

The group of first years had gone as pale as ever. They looked at each other with such fear in their eyes and went away absolutely petrified. Once they had gone Nicola burst into laughter. "Yeah, you'll see your ugly faces!" she said to herself.

"Hey Nicola," Yukari shouted over to her. "That was a good one!"

"Why thank you!" she replied, "Anyway, I've still got another class to go to. See you guys later!"

"Bye!" Chihiro and Yukari both waved to the blonde haired girl as she left.

The two remained lying down on the soft green grass. It has been a while since they had been on a picnic or had so much time to relax; mid-terms had only just finished, and classes were already back to the normal timetable.

"Hey Chihiro?" Yukari finally spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Why are people so scared of ghosts and spirits?"

"I don't know, but I can say that I'm not one of those people; I've never been the one to be scared of that type of thing. I think it's the lack of understanding that causes fear and it's just human nature to fear the unknown,"

"Yeah," Yukari agreed, "Hey, I'll be right back; I just need to go to the toilet for a second,"

"Okay then. Hurry back and don't let any ghosts get you whilst your there!" Chihiro smirked.

* * *

Chihiro lay by herself, sunbathing in the warmth of the afternoon sun. She closed her eyes and thought about how she was at long last pressure-free and how grateful she was of it. Giving a sigh of relief, she stretched out her arms and opened her eyes, only to find that someone was standing over, staring at her. Surprised, she twitched in alarm.

"Oh, Shugo, hi," Chihiro sat up, still feeling somewhat startled by his sudden appearance. "Well done on writing your last script by the way; you're really poetic,"

Shugo is not particularly one of those boys that appeal to girls very much. His hair seemed always to be greasy and his face had, to a certain degree, overwhelming acne. But, he has always been friendly with Chihiro, so she felt that she it was only polite to talk to him, because he has never actually done anything wrong or to offend her.

"I'm glad you think so," he sat down next to Chihiro and fidgeted with his glasses and gave a pathetic attempt to show off his dashing smile. Or maybe, his not so dashing smile might be more fitting.

Detecting his unusual behaviour, Chihiro carried on by saying "Well, what I meant to say was that, you're so poetic, I'm sure that **many** girls like you on this campus,"

"I only try to impress the prettiest girl, of course," he said, moving even closer to her. His face had become a noticeably flushed, in contrast to Chihiro's, which had remained a normal and healthy hue of pinky-beige.

'_Oh no! He's hitting on me! Yukari! Where are you?'_

"Shugo, I-,"

"You need not say anything, my love," He interrupted Chihiro mid-sentence and began to edge his face closer to hers. She could already smell his excessively 'pepper-minted' breath; he had clearly tried hard to make an impression her.

And closer..

And closer..

And closer..

Oh! But he misses! With a mouthful of grass, he looked up at Chihiro who had swiftly moved out of his way.

"Shugo, what I was trying to say before was that sorry, but I already have a lover,"

He sat up again, fidgeting endlessly with his super-sized glasses, which Chihiro was sure were not prescribed for him, he felt utterly embarrassed. "I see. Who is he?"

"SHE is me!" Yukari stood proudly above the two, standing in an almost superman-like pose. Chihiro wanted to laugh desperately, but managed to stifle it, skilfully.

"You mean, you two are…?" before he could finish asking, Yukari slapped his back-side as he stood up.

"Now, scat!"

"Yeah, you'd better listen to her. She'll grope something a lot more painful next time," Chihiro explained.

The puberty-challenged boy ran off within a second, leaving the two quite entertained.

"Thanks Yukari, he's going to have the entire school thinking that I'm a lesbian now, but I have to admit, that was a very nice save,"

"Who's going to believe him anyway; every knows your not. And thank you very much, and yes, if I do say so myself that was a very nice save wasn't it? Well, what can I say? I've learned from the best,"

"Since when did **I **teach you to practice your lesbian tendencies on the world?"

The two laughed in a jovial manner, until Chihiro spotted someone, or more so 'some-two' behind the shed again, "Eh! They're at it again! You'd think they would at least have the decency to find a room or something!"

"Yeah," Yukari concurred with disgust in her eyes "Hey! You two! Love maybe blind, but the teachers on campus aren't! And neither is everyone else!"

She then turned back to Chihiro briskly, as though just remembering something that she had forgotten. "Oh yeah, Chihiro, did you finish Takakazu then?"

She gave a confirming nod in response to the question and began to play conscientiously at the grass with her hands. "But, I think I might have been a bit too harsh on him. You know how I told you that five years ago I lost my memory…"

"Yeah, but you can't keep using THAT as an excuse"

"I know but, I found out that he was the one that stayed with me after I blacked out after the accident, and well I just feel in debt to him I guess,"

"He's not worth your time if you ask me. I mean he's a good for nothing loser, and you deserve so much better than him,"

"I know but, I just feel that I owe it to him to forgive him, or maybe it's because I really do love him,"

"The decision isn't mine to make; it's yours,"

"I think I might call him later," Chihiro thought aloud.

"So, do you want to go shopping this weekend?" asked Yukari.

"Sure,"

The two stayed in the garden for the rest of the afternoon, just simply lazing on the grass, slothfully. And that was how another ordinary school day had passed.

* * *

Wow that was a lot of dialogue, wouldn't you agree? I think the entire chapter is dialogue based, with the exception of the occasional paragraphs that explain or set the mood. I didn't actually mean for this chapter to have so much speech, oh well, it happens. Lol.

I know this chapter is slightly shorter in comparison to my previous ones, but it is mostly for set up purposes really. I will try to make the next one longer!

Everyone (or at least the people who chose to read this story, lol) Please review if you have time! It motivates me to write! And subsequently the chapters may even be updated sooner! Also constructive criticism is always welcomed with open arms. Thankies!

See you all next time! Take care! Buh-Bye!


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